Information processing device, printing device and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

The printing device registers setting information pertaining to printing and sends identification information of the registered setting information registered to an information processing device in response to an obtainment request from the information processing device. When a print job including the identification information is received from the information processing device, the printing device executes the print job having applied the setting information corresponding to the identification information to print settings of the print job.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/JP2018/017915 filed May 9, 2018, which claims the benefit ofJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-125594, filed Jun. 27, 2017, andJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-198755, filed Oct. 12, 2017, whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing device, aprinting device and a method of controlling the same.

Background Art

There are printing devices which are connected to a network, and whichreceive data from an information processing device over the network andprint the data. Additionally, an information processing devicegenerating print data to be sent to a printing device, by using aprinter driver (or printing application) designed to use individualprinting devices, has been known for some time.

In recent years, information processing devices generating print datawithout using a printer driver (or printing application) designed to useindividual printing devices are known. For example, print data isgenerated by a generic printing service provided as a function of theoperating system (OS) of the information processing device, a genericprinting service provided by a print server or the like in the cloud, orthe like, and that data is then sent to a printing device. With such ageneric printing service, a network protocol for executing printinghaving sent print data to a printing device (Internet Printing Protocol;IPP) is provided, and the printing process is realized by communicationbetween the printing device and the information processing deviceaccording to that protocol.

For example, PTL 1 discloses searching out nearby MFPs through NFCcommunication and displaying a list of discovered MFPs in a screen of amobile communication terminal device upon an image being selected anddesignated for printing through that screen. A protocol suited to thesending of image data is then selected on the basis of protocolinformation from the selected MFP, and image data for printing is thensent.

It is desirable that a print server, an information processing device,or the like that provides a generic printing service compliant with astandard such as IPP being capable of handling a variety of types ofprinting devices. Thus to handle different functions, specifications,and so on from printing device to printing device, it is necessary forthe information processing device which uses the generic printingservice to manage configuration information for the printing devices.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-187571

When the information processing device generates print data using ageneric printing service such as IPP, the print data is generated on thebasis of the configuration information of the printing device. However,with a generic printing service, in order to handle a variety ofprinting devices, print settings are made through a print job settingsscreen that is made common for different types of printing devices. Itis therefore not necessarily the case that the user will be able to makethe print settings s/he wishes to use. In particular, there aresituations where the finishing processes or the like providedindividually by printer vendors (e.g., unique region-specific puncherstandards and folding process standards, special binding processstandards) cannot be set through the print settings screen provided by ageneric printing service. Thus even if a function has been successfullyprovided to a user through a printer driver (or printing application)designed to be used with various printing devices, there is apossibility of that the function cannot be used if the printing deviceis used through a generic printing service. Furthermore, for functionssuch as making favorite print settings used in routine tasks, which areprovided by conventional printer drivers or the like, there is apossibility of that those functions cannot be used if the printingdevice is used through a generic printing service.

An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of theabove-described problems with the conventional techniques.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique thatimproves the convenience when printing through a generic printingservice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the above object, a printing device according to oneaspect of the present invention has the following configuration. Thatis, the printing device includes: a registering unit configured toregister setting information pertaining to printing; a sending unitconfigured to send identification information of the setting informationregistered by the registering unit to an information processing deviceas a response to an obtainment request from the information processingdevice; and a printing control unit configured to, upon a print jobincluding the identification information being received from theinformation processing device, print the print job having applied thesetting information corresponding to the identification information toprint settings of the print job.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included in and constitute part ofthe specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, andalong with those descriptions serve to illustrate the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing the configuration of a printingsystem according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for describing the hardware configuration ofan MFP according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a function block diagram for describing the softwareconfiguration of an MFP according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sequence chart for describing a processing sequence forcausing an MFP to print from an information processing device, in theprinting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a diagram for describing a specific example of a managementtable for printing presets, saved in a printing preset saving module ofthe MFP, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5B is a diagram for describing a specific example of the managementtable for printing presets, saved in the printing preset saving moduleof the MFP, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5C is a diagram for describing a specific example of the managementtable for printing presets, saved in the printing preset saving moduleof the MFP, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5D is a diagram for describing a specific example of the managementtable for printing presets, saved in the printing preset saving moduleof the MFP, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a diagram for describing an example of a request to obtaincapability information of the printer and information pertaining to aprinting preset identifier, and a response thereto, between theinformation processing device and the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 6B is a diagram for describing an example of data in a print jobgenerated by the information processing device and sent to the MFPaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7B is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7C is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7D is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7E is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7F is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7G is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 7H is a diagram for describing an example of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for describing processing by the MFP through whicha user of the information processing device manipulates the UI screensin FIGS. 7A to 7H and saves printing presets input to the MFP.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing an example of a print settings screendisplayed by the information processing device according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing processing through which an MFPreceives a print job and prints according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for describing processing for reflecting aprinting preset in print data, carried out in S1006 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 depicts a view illustrating an example of a print settingsscreen displayed by an information processing device according to asecond embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter indetail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to beunderstood that the following embodiments are not intended to limit theclaims of the present invention, and that not all of the combinations ofthe aspects that are described according to the following embodimentsare necessarily required with respect to the means to solve the problemsaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for describing the configuration of a printingsystem according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

A multifunction peripheral (MFP) 101 and an access point (AP) 102 areconnected to a LAN (Local Area Network) 100 so as to be capable ofcommunicating with each other. In the first embodiment, an MFP 101having a scan function, a printing function, a fax sending/receivingfunction, a box function, and the like will be described as an exampleof a printing device. Meanwhile, mobile terminals 103 and 104, which aretablets, smartphones, or the like, will be described as examples ofinformation processing devices. Note that in the following descriptions,the tablet 103, the smartphone 104, and the like are collectivelyreferred to as “information processing devices”. The informationprocessing devices can communicate with the MFP 101 over the LAN 100 viathe AP 102. Although the first embodiment describes the foregoingexemplary configuration as an example of the printing system, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, as long as at least one ormore information processing devices and a printing device arecommunicatively connected over a network. Additionally, the network maybe wireless or wired.

First, the MFP 101 will be described. The MFP 101 has a reading functionfor reading images on a document, and a printing function for printingimages onto a sheet (a recording medium). The MFP 101 can execute aprinting process on the basis of print data received over the network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for describing the hardware configuration ofthe MFP 101 according to the first embodiment.

The MFP 101 has the reading function for reading images on a sheet, anda printing function for printing images onto a sheet. The MFP 101 alsohas a file sending function for sending images to an externalinformation processing device, and so on. Although the first embodimentdescribes the MFP 101 as an example of the printing device, the printingdevice is not limited thereto. For example, an SFP (Single FunctionPeripheral) or the like, which does not have a reading function, mayserve as the printing device.

A control unit 210, which includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211,controls the overall operations of the MFP 101. The CPU 211 carries outvarious types of control, such as printing control and reading control,by deploying programs stored in ROM (Read Only Memory) 212 or storage214 into RAM 213 and executing those deployed programs. The ROM 212stores control programs, a boot program, and the like that can beexecuted by the CPU 211. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 213 is the mainstorage memory of the CPU 211, and provides as a work area or atemporary storage region for deploying various types of controlprograms. The storage 214 stores print data, image data, various typesof programs, and various types of setting information. Although thepresent first embodiment assumes that the storage 214 is an auxiliarystorage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like,non-volatile memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) may be used aswell.

Note also that with the MFP 101 according to the first embodiment, it isassumed that the single CPU 211 executes the respective processes in theflowcharts described later using a single memory (the RAM 213), butanother format may be used as well. For example, the respectiveprocesses shown by the flowcharts described later may be executed with aplurality of CPUs, RAM, ROM, and storage operating in tandem. Some ofthe processes may be executed using hardware circuits such as an ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-ProgrammableGate Array), or the like.

An operation unit interface (I/F) 215 connects an operation unit 216 tothe control unit 210. The operation unit 216 includes a display unit,which has touch panel functionality, various types of physical keys, andthe like, and functions as a display unit that displays information, anaccepting unit that accepts user instructions, and the like. A readingunit I/F 217 connects a reading unit (scanner) 218 to the control unit210. The reading unit 218 generates image data by reading a document.Note that the generated image data is stored in the storage 214 or theRAM 213. Additionally, the image data generated by the reading unit 218is sent to the information processing devices, used to print an imageonto a sheet, or the like. A printing unit I/F 219 connects a printingunit (a printer engine) 220 to the control unit 210. Image data, whichhas been generated by analyzing a print job received from an informationprocessing device, is transferred from the control unit 210 to theprinting unit 220 via the printing unit I/F 219. The printing unit 220receives control commands and a print job to be printed from the controlunit 210, and on the basis of that print job, prints an image onto asheet transported from a paper feed cassette (not shown). Note that theprinting method of the printing unit 220 may be an electrophotographicmethod, or may be an ink jet method. Another printing method can beapplied as well, such as a thermal transfer method. The control unit 210is also connected to the LAN 100 via a communication unit I/F 223. Thecommunication unit I/F 223 sends image data, information, and the liketo the information processing devices on the LAN 100, receives printjobs, information, and the like from the information processing deviceson the LAN 100, and so on.

An image processing unit 224 has a RIP (Raster Image Processor) functionthat expands a print job received over the LAN 100 and generates imagedata to be used in printing. The image processing unit 224 can alsocarry out resolution conversion, correction processing, and the like onthe image data obtained by expanding the print job. Although the firstembodiment assumes that the image processing unit 224 is realized by ahardware circuit (an ASIC, an FPGA, or the like), the image processingunit 224 is not limited thereto. For example, the MFP 101 may furtherinclude a processor for use in image processing, and the imageprocessing, the process for expansion into print data, and the like maybe realized by that processor executing an image processing program. Inthis case, the flowcharts described later are assumed to be realized bythe processor and the CPU 211 working in tandem. Furthermore, theconfiguration may be such that a program for carrying out imageprocessing is executed by the CPU 211, and image processing, the processfor expansion into print data, and the like are carried out. The imageprocessing may also be carried out by combining any of these.

A sheet processing unit I/F 221 connects the control unit 210 to a sheetprocessing unit 222. The sheet processing unit 222 receives controlcommands from the control unit 210, and in accordance with those controlcommands, carries out post-processing on the sheet that has been printedonto by the printing unit 220. For example, post-processing such asaligning a plurality of sheets, punching holes in a sheet, combining aplurality of sheets, and the like is executed. The sheet processing unit222 according to the first embodiment can carry out two types of bindingprocesses. One is a binding process that binds sheets using staples(stapling, hereinafter), and with this stapling, a plurality of sheetscan be bound using staples. The other is a binding process that bindssheets without using staples (stapleless binding, hereinafter). In thestapleless binding process, a plurality of sheets are bound by pressingthe plurality of sheets using a special blade, sheets are bound bypunching holes in a plurality of sheets and bending the sheets back, orthe like. The stapleless binding process does not require consumablessuch as staples, and thus the binding process can be carried out withoutworrying about the cost of such consumables. However, compared to thebinding process that binds sheets using staples, the stapleless bindingprocess has a lower upper limit on the number of sheets that can bebound (e.g., approximately 5 to 10 sheets). The post-processingfunctions, post-processing capabilities, and so on of the sheetprocessing unit 222 are communicated to the control unit 210 via thesheet processing unit I/F 221 in advance (e.g., when the MFP 101 isstarted up), and are stored in the storage 214 or the RAM 213.

FIG. 3 is a function block diagram for describing the softwareconfiguration of the MFP 101 according to the present first embodiment.Note that in the present first embodiment, it is assumed that therespective function modules illustrated in FIG. 3 are achieved by theCPU 211 executing programs that have been loaded into the RAM 213.

An IPP printing service control module 315 communicates, to theinformation processing devices, a search identifier for searching outprinting presets saved in a printing preset saving module 304 andprinter configuration information obtained from an engine control module314 together as “printer information”. The printing preset includesprinting specifications such as color or black-and-white, single- or-double-sided, N-up, and the like, post-processing specifications suchas binding, punching, or folding, and so on. The search identifier is anidentifier of the user who registered the printing preset in the MFP 101(owner identification information). The printer configurationinformation is function information of the printer (here, the MFP 101).When an MFP is shared among multiple people, several printing presetsare registered in the MFP. When a printer search/capability obtainmentrequest of that information processing device is received, theidentifier of the printing preset to be communicated is searched out onthe basis of the owner identification information of the informationprocessing device included in the request. The matching printing presetis communicated to the information processing device that made therequest. The method of communicating the printing preset extracted usingthe owner identification information is realized by an IPP printersearch/response protocol. Furthermore, when a print job based on the IPPstandard is received from an information processing device over thenetwork, the IPP printing service control module 315 passes that printjob to a print job generating module 302.

A UI control module 301 displays printing preset registration UIscreens, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7H.After a user has logged in, the user can save desired printing presetinformation in the printing preset saving module 304, display, edit, anddelete that information, and so on. The UI control module 301 obtainsinformation pertaining to the state of a print job being processed froma job control module 307, and displays the processing state of the printjob in the UI screen. The print job generating module 302 receives theprint job from the information processing device through the IPPprinting service control module 315 and writes the job into a datareception control module 305, and furthermore registers the job as a newjob in the job control module 307 and requests the printing process tostart. If the received print job is an IPP print job, the print jobgenerating module 302 passes the print setting information to be appliedto the print job to a job attribute saving module 308 through a mobilejob settings updating module 303. Data of print jobs that are not IPPjobs is written directly into the job attribute saving module 308 by theprint job generating module 302.

The mobile job settings updating module 303 is called through the printjob generating module 302, and searches out the identifier of theprinting preset included in the IPP header of the received print job. Ifthe printing preset identifier is embedded in the IPP header, the datain the printing preset saving module 304 is searched using theidentifier, and the printing preset corresponding to the identifier isobtained. Upon obtaining the corresponding print setting informationfrom the printing preset identifier, the mobile job settings updatingmodule 303 sets the obtained printing preset in the job attribute savingmodule 308.

The printing preset saving module 304 saves the printing presets set bythe user of the information processing device through the UI screensillustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7H in the storage 214. If a saved printingpreset has been updated, the details of that update are communicated tothe IPP printing service control module 315. Upon receiving thenotification of the printing preset update, the IPP printing servicecontrol module 315 communicates an update made to the printerinformation (the printing preset and the preset identifier) to theinformation processing devices on the network through the IPP protocol.

The data reception control module 305 is a buffer region for print jobsreceived from the print job generating module 302, and temporarily saveseach print job in the storage 214. When the job control module 307instructs a PDL analyzing module 306 to carry out a PDL analyzingprocess on the print job, the PDL analyzing module 306 makes a requestfor the print job to the data reception control module 305. As a result,the data reception control module 305 passes the data of the print jobto the PDL analyzing module 306.

Upon receiving the registration of a print job from the print jobgenerating module 302, the job control module 307 saves attributeinformation of that print job in the job attribute saving module 308.The job control module 307 also instructs the PDL analyzing module 306to analyze the print job, and furthermore causes page data to be savedby a page control module 309 and a page attribute saving module 311 inunits of pages. The page data created by the PDL analyzing module 306 issaved by the page control module 309 and the page attribute savingmodule 311 on a page-by-page basis, in sequence.

The job attribute saving module 308 saves the attribute information ofthe print job. The attribute information includes items set as IPP jobattributes, such as a “number of copies”, and items set on the basis ofthe printing preset, such as “Nup (collective printing)”, “printed sides(single-sided/double-sided) settings”, “color/black-and-white mode”, and“finishing settings”. The information further includes items set by thePDL analyzing module 306, such as information of text objects within thepage. These are all managed by the job attribute saving module 308, inassociation with job IDs. The page control module 309 controls the pageanalysis process by the PDL analyzing module 306, a RIP process by a RIPcontrol module 313, and a printing control process by a printing controlmodule 312. The printing control module 312 obtains image data for whichRIP is complete from a page saving module 310, separates the data intoCMYK colors, and transfers the result to the engine control module 314.The engine control module 314 receives individual pieces of CMYK imagedata from the printing control module 312 in units of pages, andcontrols the printing unit 220 to carry out a printing process for eachpage.

FIG. 4 is a sequence chart for describing a processing sequence carriedout when causing the MFP 101 to print from an information processingdevice, in the printing system according to the present firstembodiment.

In S401, the user of the information processing device registersprinting presets through the UI screens (FIGS. 7A to 7H) of theoperation unit 216 in the MFP 101. It is assumed that users can registerindividual printing presets in the MFP 101 according to the firstembodiment. The details registered at that time are saved in theprinting preset saving module 304 along with an owner name (the owneridentification information) for identifying the user. The managementtables in FIGS. 5A to 5D indicate specific examples of what isregistered here.

After the registration, in S402, the user causes a printer searchrequest to be sent from the information processing device using the IPPprotocol. This search request includes the owner identificationinformation (601, in FIG. 6A), which is the identifier of the user.

Upon receiving this search request, in S403, the MFP 101 searches outregistered printing presets using the owner identification informationincluded in the search request. Then, in S404, the MFP 101 returns thesearch result (the identifiers of printing presets matching the owneridentification information) to the information processing device, alongwith the configuration information of the MFP 101 (610 in FIG. 6A),through the IPP protocol. As a result, in S405, the informationprocessing device saves the identifiers of the individual printingpresets for each user, and the printer configuration information, sentfrom the MFP 101 through the IPP protocol. Details of this will be givenlater with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

Next, in S406, when the user of the information processing devicedisplays a printing screen (901 in FIG. 9) in the information processingdevice, the identifier of the printing presets saved in S405 (921 inFIG. 9) are displayed in a printing dialog. The list of the printingpreset identifiers differs from user to user. Details will be givenlater with reference to FIG. 9.

Next, in S407, the user of the information processing device selects theidentifier of a printing preset registered in the MFP 101 and presses aprint button (905 in FIG. 9). As a result, in S408, the informationprocessing device sends a print job, including a printing presetidentifier, to the MFP 101.

Accordingly, in S409, the MFP 101 obtains the setting information of theprinting presets registered in S401 from the printing preset identifierappended to the print job, and then requests the print settings of theprint job in accordance with the setting information of the printingpreset. Then, in S410, printing based on the print job is executed inaccordance with those print settings.

S411 to S417 which follow thereafter indicate processing steps for acase where the user of the information processing device has updated theprinting presets in the MFP 101 after a set amount of time. Upondetecting that the user has updated the printing presets in S411, inS412, the MFP 101 sends a printing preset update notification, includingthe owner identifier, to the information processing device. In S413, theinformation processing device compares the owner identificationinformation in the updated printing presets with the owner informationof the information processing device. If the owner identificationinformation of the updated printing presets matches the ownerinformation of the information processing device, the process advancesto S414. If, however, the owner identification information of theupdated printing presets does not match the owner information of theinformation processing device, the information processing devicedetermines that the update is not directed at the information processingdevice itself, and therefore does not carry out a process for updatingthe printing presets.

Next, in S414, the information processing device sends, to the MFP 101,a request to obtain the printing preset identifier. This obtainmentrequest includes the owner identifier of the information processingdevice. Having received the request to obtain the printing presetidentifier, in S415, the MFP 101 searches out the printing presetscorresponding to the owner identifier included in the request to obtainthe printing presets. In S416, the MFP 101 sends, to the informationprocessing device, the identifier of the printing presets correspondingto the owner identifier found through the search performed in S415. As aresult, in S417, the information processing device updates theidentifier of the printing presets stored as the print settings with theidentifier of the printing presets received from the MFP 101.

When the printing presets are updated in the MFP 101 through theprocessing from S411 to S417 described above, the MFP 101 notifies theinformation processing device that the update has taken place. Then,upon determining that the updated printing presets are the printingpresets it itself requires, the generic printing service of theinformation processing device can reobtain those printing presets.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are diagrams for describing a specific example ofprinting presets saved in the storage 214 by the printing preset savingmodule 304 of the MFP 101 according to the first embodiment.

501 denotes items which are printing preset identifiers, of “estimateform”, “application form”, “accounting”, “diagram”, “catalog”, and “DM(direct mail)”. 502 denotes printing resets corresponding to the owneridentification information (owner name) of the person who registered theprinting presets. If a user manipulates the UI screen in the operationunit 216 of the MFP 101 to register a single piece of presetinformation, one row's worth of data is saved in the management table.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D, setting information suchas color/black-and-white printing, printed sides(single-sided/double-sided), Nup, the presence/absence of binding(stapling, stapleless binding), punching, folding, and so on is includedas printing presets. Furthermore, Nup includes the type thereof; bindingincludes the respective binding positions; punching includes thepresence/absence of punching and the number of holes; and foldingincludes the presence/absence of folding, the type of the fold, and soon. Note that the settings indicated by 505 to 510 in FIGS. 5A to 5D aremerely examples, and can be varied as appropriate on the basis of theprinting capabilities and post-processing capabilities of the MFP 101.For example, a black-and-white MFP can be configured so that “color”cannot be registered as a printing preset.

FIGS. 7A to 7H are diagrams for describing examples of a UI screen whenregistering a printing preset in the MFP 101 according to the firstembodiment. These screens are displayed in the screen of the operationunit 216 by the UI control module 301, and values set by the user areobtained through these screens.

Processing carried out when the user registers a printing preset in theMFP 101 will be described first. First, a login screen 700, in which theuser presses a login button 712, is displayed in the operation unit 216,in a preset list screen 710, illustrated in FIG. 7A. In this screen, theuser enters a username 701 and a password 702, and presses an OK button703. When the information entered here matches information alreadyregistered in the MFP 101, the user can log into the MFP 101. Afterlogging in, the user can add, edit, and delete printing presets and soon through the list screen 710. For the printing presets registeredafter the user has logged in, the logged-in user becomes the owner ofthose printing presets, and the printing presets can only be used froman information processing device by the owner. Note that the owner nameof the printing presets is held in an owner identifier 504 in the tableillustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for describing processing by the MFP 101 throughwhich the user of the information processing device manipulates the UIscreens in FIGS. 7A to 7H and saves printing presets input to the MFP101. Note that the processing indicated in this flowchart is achieved bythe CPU 211 executing programs deployed into the RAM 213. Accordingly,the following descriptions of FIG. 8 assume that the CPU 211 is theentity executing each step.

The following will describe FIGS. 5A to 5D, FIGS. 7A to 7H, and FIG. 8altogether, in sequence. The list screen 710 in FIG. 7A is a screen thatdisplays a list of presets for print settings.

First, when the CPU 211 detects that the user has pressed an add button711 in the list screen 710 in S801, the process advances to S802, wherethe CPU 211 displays a preset registration screen 720, illustrated inFIG. 7A, in the operation unit 216. This preset registration screen 720is a screen for entering a “registration name”, which serves as anidentifier of a printing preset. In the case of a printing preset thatis shared with all users, the user enters the registration name andpresses the “next” button 721. The name of the printing preset enteredthrough this preset registration screen 720 and user identificationinformation of the login user respectively correspond to the presetidentifier 503 and the owner identifier 504 in the management tableillustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D. Here, after the user has entered theregistration name and pressed the “next” button 721, the processadvances to S803, where the CPU 211 displays a preset registrationscreen 730, illustrated in FIGS. 7B to 7H, in the operation unit 216.The processing of S803 to S810 that follows thereafter is processing forobtaining the details of settings for each of printing preset itemsselected by the user through preset registration screens 730, 740, 750,760, 770, and 780, illustrated in FIGS. 7B to 7H.

In S803, the preset registration screen 730, for the case where aprinting mode 731 has been selected, is displayed in the operation unit216. Here, the printing mode selected by the user through the presetregistration screen 730, namely color printing or black-and-whiteprinting, is obtained. The printing mode setting value selected herecorresponds to color print settings 505 in the management tableillustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D.

Next, when printed sides 741 is selected, the process advances to S804,where the CPU 211 displays the preset registration screen 740 in theoperation unit 216. In this preset registration screen 740, single-sidedor double-sided can be selected as the setting for the printed sides,and the CPU 211 obtains the setting value for the printed sides selectedhere. This setting value corresponds to printed side settings 506 in themanagement table.

Next, when Nup 751 is selected, the process advances to S805, where theCPU 211 displays the preset registration screen 750 in the operationunit 216. The CPU 211 then obtains Nup settings, which are set throughthe preset registration screen 750 and indicate how many printing pagesare to be printed onto a single sheet at a reduced size. This settingvalue corresponds to Nup settings 507 in the management table.

Next, binding settings are made in S806 to S808. Here, the user canselect whether stapleless binding or stapling is to be carried out forthe binding process, as well as the binding positions and bindingnumber. When binding 761 is selected, the process advances to S806,where the CPU 211 displays the preset registration screen 760 in theoperation unit 216. Whether or not to carry out binding, and whencarrying out binding, whether to carry out stapling or staplelessbinding, can be selected through the preset registration screen 760.Furthermore, when binding is to be carried out, the binding position,e.g., upper-left, lower-left, upper-right, and lower-right, can beselected, and the CPU 211 obtains the setting values. This setting valuecorresponds to binding settings 508 in the management table. Whenstapling is selected in S806, the process advances to S807, where theCPU 211 obtains stapling, as selected by the user, and the bindingposition, after which the process advances to S809. On the other hand,when stapleless binding is selected in S806, the process advances toS808, where the CPU 211 obtains stapleless binding, as selected by theuser, and the binding position, after which the process advances toS809. These setting values correspond to binding settings 508 in themanagement table. Although not illustrated in the flowchart, the processadvances from S806 to S809 if the user has selected not to carry outbinding.

Next, when punching 771 is selected, the process advances to S809, wherethe CPU 211 displays the preset registration screen 770 in the operationunit 216. Here, the user can specify whether or not to carry outpunching, and when carrying out punching, the number and positions ofthe holes. The CPU 211 obtains the setting information set through thepreset registration screen 770. The value set here corresponds topunching settings 509 in the management table.

Next, when folding 781 is selected, the process advances to S810, wherethe CPU 211 displays the preset registration screen 780 in the operationunit 216. Here, the user can set whether or not to carry out folding, aswell as the type of the fold. In this manner, the CPU 211 obtains theinformation of the folding which has been set. The value set herecorresponds to folding settings 510 in the management table.

Note that the processing from S803 to S810 can be cycled through freelyduring the settings by pressing tab buttons 731, 741, 751, 761, 771, and781 in the preset registration screens. When the settings are completeand a save button 732 is pressed in the preset registration screen, theprocess advances to S811, where the CPU 211 carries out an exclusivitycheck among the set items. If the exclusivity check shows no problems,the process advances to S812, where the CPU 211 saves the setting valuesin the management table illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D (saves the valuesin the storage 214). Note that if the exclusivity check in S811 shows aproblem, an indication to that effect is displayed as in a presetregistration error screen 790. In response, the user redoes the settingsby carrying out the processing of S803 to S810 again. This ensures thatthe user does not make an erroneous printing preset setting. Note that aconfirmation screen, including an illustration or the like forconfirming the final product to be printed, may be displayed beforesaving the details selected in S812. In this case, if the MFP 101 hasreceived a user instruction indicating that the settings are OK throughthe confirmation screen, the process advances to S812. On the otherhand, if the MFP 101 has received a user instruction indicating that thesettings are to be redone, the process advances to S803, so that thevarious settings can be redone.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for describing an example of a request toobtain capability information of the printing device and informationpertaining to the printing preset identifier, and a response thereto,between the information processing device and the MFP 101 according tothe first embodiment.

An obtainment request message 600 sent to the MFP 101 from aninformation processing device is for obtaining only the informationpertaining to the identifier of a printing preset registered by the userof the information processing device that issued the request. As such,information pertaining to an owner identifier 601, which indicates theuser of the information processing device as the owner of the printingpreset, is included. This message 600 requests information pertaining tothe identifier of a printing preset corresponding to an owner identifierof “suzuki”.

A message 610 includes a printer capability response, as well asinformation pertaining to the identifier of a printing preset includedin the capability response, and these are sent from the MFP 101 to theinformation processing device. 611 denotes a plurality of printingpresets having a list structure, including identifiers 612 forindividual printing presets, and owner information 613 of those printingpresets. The message 610 is an example of the capability response to themessage 600. In the message 610, three printing presets designated withthe owner identifier of “suzuki” are registered in the MFP 101, and itcan be seen that the identifiers of those printing presets are “estimateform”, “application form”, and “diagram”.

A message 620 is an example of the data of the print job generated bythe information processing device and sent to the MFP 101. Here, jobattributes include a printing preset identifier 621 and a printingpreset owner identifier 622.

Upon receiving this print job, the mobile job settings updating module303 of the MFP 101 searches the printing preset saving module 304 usingthis printing preset identifier 621 as a search key, obtains theprinting presets corresponding to the preset identifier 621 (“estimateform” here) having the owner identifier of “suzuki”, and carries out theprinting process.

For example, assuming that the management table illustrated in FIGS. 5Ato 5D is registered, this estimate form is to be printed in color, as 1in 1 on one side, with the upper-left of the printed sheet being boundthrough stapleless binding, and discharged without punching or folding.

Print settings in a generic printing service will be described next.FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing an example of a print settings screendisplayed by the information processing device according to the firstembodiment.

A screen 901 indicates a printing dialog called from an application inthe information processing device. At the stage when the screen 901 isfirst displayed, a printer (MFP) to be used for the printing has not yetbeen selected, and thus no details are displayed for a printer displayfield 906, a printing preset identifier 902, and so on. Next, when theuser presses a printer search button 903 in this screen, the screentransitions to a printing device selection screen 910. The informationprocessing device sends a search packet, for searching out printingdevices (MFPs) on the LAN 100 (S402 in FIG. 4), while this selectionscreen 910 is being displayed. Here, when the MFP 101 returns a responsein S404 of FIG. 4, the information of the MFP 101 that returned theresponse to the information processing device (S404) is displayed in thescreen of the information processing device. The screen 910 indicates anexample of a case where three printing devices have been found. Here,911 will be described as a printing device corresponding to the MFP 101,for explanatory purposes.

When the user selects one of the printing devices (“Printer (1)” here)through the selection screen 910, the screen returns to the screen 901,and the printer identifier “Printer (1)” is displayed in the printerdisplay field 906. Additionally, a guidance button 904 for an identifierselection screen 920 is displayed on the basis of the information of theprinting preset identifier received from the MFP 101 (S405/406). Then,when the guidance button 904 is pressed in the selection screen 901, thescreen transitions to the screen 920, where a list 921 of printingpreset identifiers that can be used by the selected printing device(MFP) is displayed.

Assuming that the user identifier is “suzuki”, “estimate form” 521,“application form” 522, and “diagram” 524 are saved as printing presetshaving an owner identifier 504 of “suzuki” saved in the management table(FIGS. 5A to 5D) in the printing preset saving module 304. Accordingly,“estimate form”, “application form”, and “diagram” are displayed asindicated by the list 921 in the printing preset selection screen 920,using the preset identifiers.

Here, when the user selects (S407) a single printing preset identifier(“estimate form” here) in the printing preset selection screen 920, thescreen in the information processing device returns to the screen 901.At this time, in the screen 901, the identifier of the selected printer,i.e., “Printer (1)”, is displayed in the printer display field 906, andthe printing preset of “estimate form” is displayed as well. If the userpresses a print button 905 in this state, a print job in which theprinting preset identifier is embedded is sent from the informationprocessing device to the MFP 101 (S408). Then, in the MFP 101, thatestimate form is printed in color, 1 in 1, and on one side, with theupper-left of the printed sheet bound through stapleless binding, andthe sheet discharged with no punching and no folding.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing processing through which the MFP101 receives a print job and prints according to the first embodiment.Note that the processing indicated in this flowchart is achieved by theCPU 211 executing programs deployed into the RAM 213. Accordingly, thefollowing descriptions of FIG. 8 assume that the CPU 211 is the entityexecuting each step.

First, in S1001, the CPU 211 receives a print job sent from theinformation processing device, and saves the received print job in thestorage 214 in S1002. The process then advances to S1003, where the CPU211 analyzes the IPP header of that print job, and then determineswhether or not a printing preset identifier is included. If it isdetermined that a printing preset identifier is included, the processadvances to S1004, and if not, the process advances to S1007.

In S1004, the CPU 211 searches out a printing preset registered in thestorage 214, e.g., registered in the management table illustrated inFIGS. 5A to 5D, on the basis of the printing preset identifier includedin the print job and the owner identification information of the printjob. The process then advances to S1005, where the CPU 211 determineswhether or not a printing preset that matches the printing presetidentifier included in the print job and the owner identificationinformation of that print job is registered. If it is determined that amatching printing preset is registered, the process advances to S1006,but if not, the process advances to S1011, where error processing iscarried out, after which the process ends. In this error processing, amessage indicating that no corresponding printing preset is present isdisplayed in the operation unit 216, for example, and an error responseis returned to the information processing device that sent the printjob.

In S1006, the CPU 211 creates print setting information reflecting thematching printing preset. This process will be described later withreference to the flowchart in FIG. 11.

The process then advances to S1007, where the CPU 211 analyzes the PDLdata included in the print job, and in S1008, a RIP process is carriedout to expand the PDL data into bitmap data. The process then advancesto S1009, where the expanded page data is output to the printing unit220 and printed. In this printing process, the printing is carried outaccording to the printing specifications in which the printing presethas been reflected in S1006. The process then advances to S1010, wherethe CPU 211 determines whether or not the printing is complete for thefinal page; if the printing is not complete, the process returns toS1007, and the above-described processing is repeated. The process endswhen the printing of the print data specified in the print job iscomplete. Note that if post-processing such as a binding process, apunching process, a folding process, or the like is set for the printedproduct, it is assumed that the CPU 211 executes the post-processing forthe printed sheets in addition to the printing process in S1009. In thiscase, the CPU 211 executes the post-processing on the sheets in tandemwith the printing unit 220 and the sheet processing unit 222.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for describing processing for reflecting theprinting preset in the print data, carried out in S1006 of FIG. 10.

First, in S1101, the CPU 211 causes color print settings 505 (FIGS. 5Ato 5D), which correspond to the owner identification information and theprinting preset identifier, to be reflected. For example, if theabove-described printing preset identifier is “estimate form” and theowner identification information is “suzuki”, “color” is set, accordingto FIGS. 5A to 5D. The process then advances to S1102, where the CPU 211causes printed side settings 506, which correspond to the owneridentification information and the printing preset identifier, to bereflected. For example, if the above-described printing presetidentifier is “estimate form” and the owner identification informationis “suzuki”, “single-sided” is set, according to FIGS. 5A to 5D. Theprocess then advances to S1103, where the CPU 211 causes Nup settings507, which correspond to the owner identification information and theprinting preset identifier, to be reflected. For example, if theabove-described printing preset identifier is “estimate form” and theowner identification information is “suzuki”, “1 in 1” is set, accordingto FIGS. 5A to 5D. The process then advances to S1104, where the CPU 211causes binding settings 508, which correspond to the owneridentification information and the printing preset identifier, to bereflected. For example, if the above-described printing presetidentifier is “estimate form” and the owner identification informationis “suzuki”, “stapleless binding” is set, with a binding position of“upper-left”, according to FIGS. 5A to 5D. The process then advances toS1105, where the CPU 211 causes punching settings 509, which correspondto the owner identification information and the printing presetidentifier, to be reflected. For example, if the above-describedprinting preset identifier is “estimate form” and the owneridentification information is “suzuki”, “no punching” is set, accordingto FIGS. 5A to 5D. The process then advances to S1106, where the CPU 211causes folding settings 510, which correspond to the owneridentification information and the printing preset identifier, to bereflected. For example, if the above-described printing presetidentifier is “estimate form” and the owner identification informationis “suzuki”, “no folding” is set, according to FIGS. 5A to 5D. Lastly,the process advances to S1107, where the CPU 211 checks whether anyconflicts have arisen due to the combination of the IPP job settingvalues and the setting values overwritten by the printing presets, suchas the number of copies to be printed; and if there are no problems, thesettings are overwritten with the updated print settings and saved inthe storage 214. If a conflict has arisen here, an indication to thateffect may be displayed in the operation unit 216, communicated to theinformation processing device that sent the job, or the like.

According to the present first embodiment as described thus far, theuser registers a printing preset in the MFP 101 in advance, and theidentifier of the registered printing preset is communicated, along withIPP protocol printer capability information, to the informationprocessing device being operated by the user. As a result, the user ofthe information processing device can carry out printing in which theprinting preset is reflected in the print job, without makingcomplicated printing preset settings, simply by selecting the identifierof the printing preset from a UI screen and instructing the printing tobe carried out. As a result, a printed product having complex printingspecifications can be obtained even from a mobile terminal such as thetablet 103, the smartphone 104, or the like.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described next. Theforegoing first embodiment describes a case where the identifier of aprinting preset is communicated to an information processing device asIPP protocol printer capability information. In the second embodiment,in addition to the identifier of the printing preset, the MFP 101communicates information indicating print settings corresponding to thatpreset, illustrated as examples in FIGS. 5A to 5D (also called “printingattributes”), to the information processing device. When the printingpreset identifier is selected from the printing dialog, the informationprocessing device reflects information of the details of that preset inthe current print settings. In other words, the printing systemaccording to the second embodiment provides a configuration in which,when a user operation for selecting a preset has been accepted throughthe printing dialog, the details corresponding to the preset arereflected in the print settings screen on the information processingdevice side. This processing makes it possible to confirm the details ofthe printing preset from the printing dialog in the informationprocessing device. Note that in the second embodiment, the hardwareconfigurations of the prerequisite devices are the same as in the firstembodiment. Detailed descriptions of configurations identical to thosein the first embodiment will be omitted.

A specific control method according to the second embodiment will bedescribed next. When sending the capability response indicated by S404in FIG. 4, which includes the configuration information and theidentification information, to the information processing device, theMFP 101 sends a capability response to which the print settings (alsocalled “printing attributes”) corresponding to the identificationinformation of the preset have been added. The differences between thecapability response according to the first embodiment and the capabilityresponse according to the second embodiment will be described usingFIGS. 6A and 6B.

The MFP 101 according to the second embodiment communicates, to theinformation processing device, a printing preset including the printingattributes for each preset illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D, in addition tothe printing preset identifiers 612 and the printing preset ownerinformation 613. In other words, attributes corresponding to 521 inFIGS. 5A to 5D, namely “color, 1 in 1, single-sided printing, staplelessbinding in the upper-left of the sheet”, are added to the printingpreset having a name of “estimate form”. Likewise, attributescorresponding to 522 in FIGS. 5A to 5D, namely “black-and-white, 2 in 1,double-sided printing”, are added to the printing preset having a nameof “application form”. Furthermore, attributes corresponding to 524 inFIGS. 5A to 5D, namely “black-and-white, 1 in 1, single-sided printing,two points binding on the left of the sheet, z-folding”, are added tothe printing preset having a name of “diagram”.

A process for reflecting the settings in a case where the informationprocessing device has accepted a user operation for selecting a presetthrough the printing dialog will be described next using FIG. 12.

FIG. 12 depicts a view illustrating an example of a screen displayed inan operation unit of the information processing device 103, 104, or thelike by the processor of the information processing device. A screen1210 indicates a printing dialog called from an application in theinformation processing device. The printer search, the processingcarried out when the print button is pressed, and so on are the same asthe processing described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.9, and thus will not be described here. Here, for explanatory purposes,a case where “Printer (1)” has been selected through a user operationbut no printing preset has been selected will be described as anexample.

When a printer is selected through a user operation, the processor ofthe information processing device displays a guidance button 1211 in thescreen 1210. When the guidance button 1211 is selected through a useroperation, the processor of the information processing devicetransitions the screen displayed in the operation unit of theinformation processing device to a screen 1230. The screen 1230 is ascreen similar to the screen 910 according to the first embodiment, andis a screen for selecting a preset to be used from among a list ofpresets. When a user operation for selecting one of the items from thelist of presets displayed in the screen 1230 has been accepted, theprocessor of the information processing device transitions the screendisplayed in the operation unit of the information processing device toa screen 1240. Here, a case where “diagram” has been selected from thelist will be described as an example, for explanatory purposes. Theprocessor of the information processing device changes the printsettings displayed in the printing dialog on the basis of the attributescorresponding to the “diagram” printing preset, i.e., “black-and-white,1 in 1, single-sided printing, two points binding on the left of thesheet, z-folding”.

Returning to the descriptions of FIG. 12, the processor of theinformation processing device displays information 1241, indicating thatthe print settings based on the preset have been applied, in the screen1240. The information 1241 is displayed for a predetermined amount oftime (e.g., 5 seconds) after transitioning to the screen 1240. Once thepredetermined amount of time has passed, the processor fades the displayof the information 1241 out from the screen 1240.

An options button 1242 is a button used when confirming and changing thecurrent print settings. When the options button 1242 is selected througha user operation, the processor of the information processing devicetransitions the screen displayed in the operation unit of theinformation processing device to a settings screen 1250. A region 1251in the settings screen 1250 is a region for confirming and changing thecurrent print settings. Here, print settings to which the “diagram”printing preset has been applied are shown as an example. As a result ofthe above-described application process, a color mode setting 1252 hasbeen set to black-and-white, and a double-sided print setting 1253 hasbeen set to off. A Nup setting 1254 is set to 1 in 1, and a bindingsetting 1255 is set to “double”, indicating two points binding.Furthermore, a punching setting 1256 is set to off, and a foldingsetting 1257 is set to on.

In this manner, the second embodiment makes it possible to provide aconfiguration in which the details of a preset selected by the user areapplied to the print settings, and the user can confirm the presetsetting details. The printing process carried out after the preset hasbeen selected is the same as in S407 to S410 in FIG. 4, described in thefirst embodiment, and that process will thus not be described here.

The second embodiment describes a configuration where the print settingsapplied on the basis of the printing preset selected by a user operationmade through the region 1251 can be changed as an example; however, theconfiguration is not limited thereto. For example, when a printingpreset is selected, the information processing device may prohibit theprint settings from being changed. Additionally, attribute informationindicating whether or not to permit changes to the settings can beprovided for each printing preset. For example, if an attribute thatcannot be interpreted by the print service (e.g., stapleless binding)has been set as an attribute for the printing preset, the CPU 211 of theMFP 101 stores the printing preset along with added informationindicating that the settings are not permitted to be changed. A printingpreset including this information is also sent for the capabilityresponse to the information processing device.

In this case, the processor of the information processing deviceprohibits the settings from being changed through the region 1251 when aprinting preset is designated and a setting is made that does not permitchanges to the settings made in that printing preset. Through thisprocessing, situations where settings are changed on the printingservice side can be suppressed in cases such as where an attribute withwhich the printing service of the information processing device is notcompliant is set in the printing preset. Additionally, in this case,information indicating that the settings in that printing preset areprohibited from being changed may be displayed in addition to theinformation 1241. On the other hand, the processor of the informationprocessing device carries out control so as to accept changes to thesettings through the region 1251 when a printing preset is designatedand a setting is made for permitting changes to the settings in thepreset.

Variations

The foregoing embodiments describe an example in which printing can becarried out using a user's desired print settings, even from a genericprinting service, by registering printing presets and identifiersthereof in an MFP in advance. However, the present invention is notlimited thereto. For example, with an MFP having a hot folder providedwith print settings (a shared folder for holding print jobs provided bythe MFP), a “folder name” of the hot folder may be sent to an identifierfor the capability response of the printer, included in the message 610illustrated in FIG. 6A. In this case, upon determining that a print jobreceived through IPP includes a hot folder identifier, the MFP storesthe received print job in the hot folder specified by the identifier.The MFP may then overwrite the print settings of the print job with theprint settings set in the hot folder in which the print job is stored,and then execute the printing process according to S1007 and on.

Furthermore, the foregoing embodiments describe an example in which,when the printer capabilities are communicated with a generic printingservice as described with reference to S402 to S404 in FIG. 4, theprinting preset is narrowed down on the basis of the owneridentification information received from the generic printing service inS402. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, a printer capability response including the identifiers of allof the registered printing presets may be returned. In this case, tosuppress a situation in which many printing presets are displayed in theprinting preset selection screen 920 illustrated in FIG. 9, a limit(e.g., an upper limit of 10) may be provided for the number of printingpresets that can be stored in the MFP, for example.

This can also be applied in a case where the owner identificationinformation sent by the generic printing service differs from the useridentification information registered in the printing preset (theinformation for identifying the user of the MFP). In this case, anadministrator of the MFP registers a correspondence relationship betweenthe owner identification information sent by the generic printingservice and the identification information of the user using the MFP 101through a user management screen, which is not shown. The correspondencerelationship registered through the user management screen is stored ina user DB, a table, or the like. In this case, the generic printingservice sends a unique identifier indicating the information processingdevice (e.g., a device serial number, a wireless LAN MAC address, or thelike) instead of the owner identification information that is sent tothe MFP in S402, S413, and so on. By using the correspondencerelationship stored in a user DB, a table, or the like in the processingof S403, S415, or the like, the MFP 101 specifies the user of the MFP101 associated with the unique identifier received from the informationprocessing device. The MFP 101 then returns a list of printing presetidentifiers, which have been registered by the specified user, to theinformation processing device.

Note that the generic printing service described in the foregoingembodiments assumes a printing service compliant with IPP, a printingservice based on the IPP specifications but having a proprietaryextension, or the like, for example. For example, the present inventioncan be applied in a generic printing application, printing service, orthe like preinstalled in the OS of the information processing device.Additionally, the present invention can be applied in a printingservice, a printing application, or the like that supports printingdevices from multiple vendors, for example.

The foregoing embodiments describe, as an example, a case where when theMFP 101 has received a print job including a printing preset identifier,the print settings of the print job are overwritten with thecorresponding attributes in the printing preset; however, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. A configuration is also possible inwhich the corresponding attributes and the printing preset are comparedwith the print settings included in the received print job, after whichthe print settings can be overwritten. For example, if single-sidedprinting is set as an attribute in the printing preset selected by theuser, but double-sided printing has been explicitly designated throughthe printing dialog, control can be carried out to prioritize thedouble-sided printing designated by the user. In this case, in theapplication process described in S1101 to S1106, if the print jobincludes print settings that are explicitly designated, those printsettings may be prioritized.

According to the present embodiment, a printed product to which complexprint settings have been applied can be obtained, without sacrificingthe operability of printing from a communication terminal such as amobile device.

According to the present embodiments, there is an effect in that aprinted product to which complex setting information has been appliedcan be obtained, even when printing through a generic printing servicefrom an information processing device.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

1. A printing device comprising: a registering unit configured to register setting information pertaining to printing; a sending unit configured to send identification information of the setting information registered by the registering unit to an information processing device as a response to an obtainment request from the information processing device; and a printing control unit configured to, upon a print job including the identification information being received from the information processing device, print the print job having applied the setting information corresponding to the identification information to print settings of the print job. 2.-15. (canceled) 